BioEnergy Bytes

The June 25, 2014 episode of SOCAL CONNECTED (airing at 8:00 pm) will feature the tug-of-war drama between homeowners who are using using solar energy versus big utility companies. With a growing number of homeowners installing solar panels on their roofs, and a portion of them selling excess power back to the utility, many utility companies are fighting back (see this Sun Tax story as an example) and do not want to see the trend grow. However, the solar industry is fighting back to keep the sun shining for home-based solar power generation. In the show, journalist Derrick Shore looks at two contrasting views on the future of solar energy. SOCAL CONNECTED collaborated on this story with KCET’s ReWire columnist, Chris Clarke.

Governor Terry McAuliffe has appointed Jackson E. Reasor, President and CEO of Old Dominion Electric Cooperative to the Virginia Energy Council. Governor McAuliffe signed Executive Order #16 establishing the Council on June 4, 2014. The Virginia Energy Council will assist in the development and implementation of a cohesive, comprehensive, and aggressive energy strategy for Virginia. The 25 member council is also charged with working to update the Virginia Energy Plan and is expected to deliver recommendations to the General Assembly on October 1, 2014.

Intermolecular has announced that Dr. Bruce McWilliams has been appointed Chairman of the Board, taking over the chairman position from Tom Baruch. Mr. Baruch has served as chairman for almost eight years, and he will remain on the Intermolecular board as an active director.

Maryland Governor O’Malley’s Energy Advisor Abigail Ross Hopper has released the Resiliency Through Microgrids Task Force Report, charting a path forward for microgrid deployment in Maryland. The report is the result of four roundtable meetings with representatives from sister states, project developers, utilities, and non-profit think tanks, as well as ratepayer advocates, legal thought leaders, and others. The Task Force began with the hypothesis that microgrids serving individual customers in a campus style setting are now practicable in Maryland and looked to technology and regulatory solutions that can serve several customers across multiple properties. Additionally, this effort looked to develop public purpose microgrid policies as part of a long-range, holistic vision for the state.